Sterile filling machine



All@ 6, 1940 A. v.`wErHERBY-w1LL|AMs ET AL 2,210,017

STERILE FILLING MACHINE Filed lay 26, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 YI. 'ff

/ e/r ATTORNEY Allg 6'.`1940 A.=v.wE'rHEiQBYw1LL|AMs l-:T AL 2,210,017

STERILE FILLING MACHINE Filed lay 26, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JJM ai Patented Aug. 6, 1940l UNITED STATE STERJLE FILLING MACHINE Arthur vivan Wetherby-Williams and washington Kyle Sheffield, New York, N. Y.

Application May 26, 1939, serial No. 275,842

10 claims. (ci. 226-68) Our invention relates to apparatus for lling .and closing vessels and more particularly apparatus of that type in which the vessel is first sterilized and subsequently iilled and closed without danger of introducing bacteria into the vessel between the time Asterilization ends and the time the vessel has been hermetically sealed.

Apparatus of this type permits bulk, pasteurization followed by quick cooling before the liquid is introduced into the vessel which is to contain it. Cold filling has the advantage over hot lling in that the iiavor of many fruit juices, dry wines, etc'., does not deteriorate after rapid pasteurization, followed yimmediately by cooling. -By` cold lling, it is possible to preserve the vitamins, especially vitamin C, which were in the liquid initially.L7 Also, by this type of pasteurization it is possible to use up to '75% heat regeneration, which makes a marked saving in lthecost of heating the liquid from normal to pasteurizing temperature. One of -the principal objects of our invention is lto provide means operable from loutside the 25 into hermetically tight engagement with the mouth of the vessel after it has been filled. Heretofore, in apparatus of the typeto which this invention relates'the vessels to be filled are in- 30 the condensate to drain away. Then, before filling them with liquid, they haveibeen turned right-side up, so that the liquid could run in by gravity and displace air through the mouth of the vessel which was then at the top'of the latter. 'I'his procedure is highly objectionable in the case of liquids,l such as beer, which are apt to foam when allowed todrop from a height.

Another important object, thereforaof our invention is to provide means whereby an inverted vessel can iirst be sterilized, then--iilled with liquid and finally sealed without turning the vessellrightway up.

With this object in View the apparatus includes a tube carrying the closure at its upper end capable of being thrust upwardly through the mouth of the vessel, while the latter is inverted, until it is closely adjacent what is normally the bottom of the vessel. Closing the space 50 between the mouthuof the vessel and 4such tube is a llingmember through which condensate f from the steam used for sterilizing can be disv'charged and subsequently beer or other liquid can be introduced. n

55 One suitable form of construction is shown,

apparatus for expanding a soft metal closure verted while they are being s'terilized,'to permit which the mouth I8 is vessel pressed against the gasket 20.

by way of example, in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus as a whole.

Figure 2 is a side elevation lof the same.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a side elevation ofthe container with the closure in position. t

Figure 5 is a vertical section through the containelgthe sterilizing, filling and closure expanding apparatus in initial position.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the position of the parts at the beginning of the i closure expanding operation.l Figure 7 is a detail view on an enlarged scale of a part of the closure expanding apparatus.

Figure 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Figure 5. 1

Figure '9' is a view similar to Figure 6 showing the position of the parts at the end of the closure expanding operation.

Figure 10 is a section on Figure 6. l l

Figure 11 is a top plan 'View of the closure. Figure 12 is a view takenI on the line I2'I2 of Figure 11.l 9 Referring to the drawings, the apparatus comprises a pair of columns I5 carrying a bracket I B, the outer end of which consists of the filling head I1." The filling head has a circular recess at itsl upper side to receive the mouth I8 of the vessel I9`to be filled. An annular gasket 20 is provided at the bottom of this recess against forced to ensure a fluidthe. une ln-ln of tight contact.

i Above the vesse I9 is a downwardly ilanged plate 24 having a studv 25 extending upwardly therefrom. This stud slidingly extends through abracket 26. Between the lower side of the bracket and the top of the plate 24 is a spring 21 to keep the plate pressed against the bottom of the vessel and thereby keep the mouth 'gf the o nsert an empty vessel or remove-a fllledone, all thatfhas to be done is lift theplate 24 by pulling lupwardson the stud 25. e

Slidably mounted inthe filling head is a steam l pipe 30,' within which is the snifte-r tube 3l,

,through which air is discharged while the vessel I9 is being iilled. A gland 32 containing two annular rubber composition packing rings 33 is provided for maintaining a tight joint between the head I1 vand the pipe 30. Steam under greater pressure than the pressure in the vessel at gland through a pipe 34 to press the packing rings against the pipe 30. With such an' arrangement, if there is any leakage into the vessel, it is of sterile steam. Condensate is discharged through pipe 35.

The upper end of the pipe is ared out conically to form a head 4|l- Surrounding such head anda little below it is enclosure-expanding member 4| mounted onthe head so that it can freely turn thereon and, at the same time, move axially relatively thereto through a short distance. 'I'his limited freedom of relative movement may be secured in a number of ways, such as by mounting a series of pins 42 on the member 4I, the inner ends of which extend into an annular recess 43 in the outer wall of the pipe 3|).

A closure lgenerally designated as 45 of soft metal constructed as shown more particularly in Figure 12 has a central portion 46 adapted to be snapped over the head 48 and an outer depending cylindrical skirt part 41 which surrounds the upper portion of the member 4|. Ribs 48 are provided in the central portion 46, partly to provide strength and partly to provide channels for the passage of air from the interior of the vessel to the snifter tube 3| as the vessel is being filled with liquid. Around the periphery of the skirt part 41 is a rubber bandi48 to act as a' gasket between the mouth |`8 and the skirt when the latter has been peripherally expanded.

For expanding the skirt 41, various means may be employed. As shown, these means comprise four knurled rolleis 52, mounted for radial movement in slots 53 in the member 4|. Circular wire springs 54 (Figure 9) serves to draw the rollers inwardly so that they are always in contact with the conical surface of the head 48. If the head 40 is moved downwardly relatively to the member 4|, these rollers are pushed outwardly and force the adjacent parts of the lskirt 41 outwardly until contact between the gasket 49 and the inner wall of the vessel mouth prevents further movement. This change in the relative position of the parts vis shown in Figures 6, '1, 8, and 9. Until this contact takes place, there is nothing to prevent the closure 45 and the member 4| rotating with the head 40 as if all three parts were' integrally joined together. A s soon, however, as the gasket is squeezed against the inner wall ofthe vessel mouth the skirt'oithe closure is gripped frictionally and further rotation of the closure is greatly retarded, vif not wholly prevented. The result is that, if after such frictional engagement occurs, the head 40 is rotated, the knurled rollers will be rolled around on the inner wall of the skirt, forcing the gasket 449 into fluidtight contact at all points between the mouth I8 on the inside fand the closure skirt 41 on the outside.

During this rolling operation, the member 4| turns at approximately half the speed of the headternally threaded block 6I in engagement with the screw thread 68 axially with respect to the any time is admitted into the interior of the pipe. The block 8| forms part of a bracket 62 mounted on aifeed-screw 63 adapted to be rotated by a motor 64 through worm and other gearing 65. Above the block 6I is a collar 66 and below it a second collar 61. Between the bottom of the block 6I and the collar 61 is a spring 68. When the block 6| is raised it pushes the pipe 38 upwards until the parts `are in the position shown in Figure 5. When the block 6| ,l is moved downwardly the pipe 36 and member 4| drop freely until the bottom of the member 4| contacts the lling head, as shown in Figure 6. As thev block 6| continues its downward movement, the head 40 moves downwardly inside the member 4| forcing the rollers 52 outwardly until further movement of the rollers is prevented by the engagement of the gasket 48 with the inside of the mouth I8. The parts are then in the position shown inFigure 9. Since the head 40 is no longerable to move downwardly, further downward movement ofthe block 6I simultaneouslt1 compresses, the spring 68 and rotates the vtube 30 and its head 48 to roll the whole ofthe skirt of the closure against the inner wall of the vessel 'mouth. Toadvantage the mouth I8 has a shallow inwardly extending flange 18, best shown in Figure 7, toprevent the closure being blown out of -the mouth I8 by the pressure of carbon dioxide,

. 45 and the mouth I6 of the vessel are concerned,

the only pressure exerted thereon is directed radially outwards, so that there is no strain placed on the body of the vessel. Hence the body of the tube 3| is controlled by a valve 12. The' upper end of the tube 3| is held in proper spaced relation to the pipe 30 by a pin 13.

While steam could escape from the top of the pipe 38 as the closure does not ilt tightly thereon, the force pf the escaping steam might lift off the closure. Further, the escaping steam would be'directed downwardly. For these and other reasons, we prefer that the majority at least of the steam be discharged laterally through apertures 15 formed in the pipe below the bottom of the member 4I.

To enable the vessel to be lled practically completely there are no discharge apertures in the snifter tube 3|', so thatbefore liquid can enter such tube the liquid level must rise to the top of the tube, and the top of the tube can be raised so that it is below the bottom of the container by a distance not substantially greater than the thickness of the closure 45. For uniform filling, liquid may be allowed to flow into the vessel until it is seen to overflow through the snifter tube, a sight glass being provided for that purpose.

i it'is `desired to remove substantially all the ool The initialposition for operating the apparatus.

is that shown in Figure 6, with the tube 30, its head 40 and member 4l in the position shown therein. The rst step is to snap one of the closures over the top of the head 40 and then replace a vessel I9 in position thereabove. Then the motor 64 is set in operation to raise the pipe 3U. When the openings 15 are clear of the lling head, the steam valve 1| and the valve for condensate discharge through the passageway 11 are opened. By the time that the head 40 has reached the position shown in Figure 5, the interior of the vessel has been sterilized. The steam and condensate valves are closed and the yvalve controlling the admission of liquid through the passageway 16 and the snifter tube valve 12 are opened and held open until the vessel has been filled. When that has occurred the lastmentioned valves are closed and the motor operated to draw the pipe 30 downwards until the closure has been expanded into contact with the vessel mouth. The lled vessel is removed and the motor 4 operated to bring the head 4 0, etc., back to the relative positions shown in Figure 6.

If desired, automatic controls may be used for operating the motor switch, valves, etc.

We do not limit ourselves to particular size, shape, number, or arrangement of parts, as shown and described, as these are given simply as a means for clearly describing the device of our invention.

What We claim is: t

1. Apparatus for lling and closing a vessel having a neck, comprising a filling head adapted to make fluid-tight contact with the vessel when the latter is in inverted position, a snifter-tube mechanism mounted in said filling head adapted tolsupport a soft-metal dished closure on its upper end, the maximum diameter of they said mechanism being s'uiciently smaller than the minimum diameter of the vessel neck to permit said mechanism with av closure covering and surrounding its upper end to enter the vessel and carry the vclosure to the bottom of the vessel and subsequently lower it into the neck after the vessel is lled, means for moving said mechanism up and down with respect to the lling head, and means for expanding the closure after it has been lowered into the neck to seal the vessel.

2. Apparatus for sterilizing, lling and closing a vessel having a neck, comprising a filling head adapted to make fluid-tight contact with the vessel when the vlatter is in inverted position, a snifter-tube mechanism slidably mounted in said lling head, said head having apertures between the lineof fluid-tight contact and said mechanism for the admission of liquid into the vessel and for the discharge of condensate therefrom,-

said'mechanism being adapted to support a softmetal dished closure on its upper end, themaximum diameter of said mechanism being sufciently smaller than the minimum diameter of the vessel neck to permit said mechanism with a closure covering and surrounding its upper end to enter the vessel and carry the closure to the bottom of the' vessel and subsequently lower it into the neck after the vessel is filled, means for moving said mechanism up and down with respect to the lling head, an internally-threaded member engaging an external steep-pitch thread on the outside of the lower part of the sniftertube mechanism, a collar on said mechanism below said member, a helical spring around said mechanism between said member and said collar, a second collar on said mechanism above said member to limit the upward movement of said member under the action of said spring, means for vertically reciprocating said member, the

threaded connection between said member and said mechanism causing the latter to be rotated by the member when the latter moves downwardly,further tl1an the mechanisml can follow it,

means. operated by the downward and rotary movement of said member for expanding the closure after it has been lowered into the neck to seal the vessel, means for introducing steam into the vessel through said mechanism, and means for discharging air from the vessel -through ysaid mechanism.

3. A method of lling a vessel comprising passing a dished closure completely through the mouth of an empty inverted vessel up to the bottom of the latter, introducing steam into the vessel to sterilize it and permitting the condensate to ilow therefrom by gravity, then iilling the vessel with pasteurized liquid,` dropping the closure into the mouth of the vessel and eX- panding it against the innerwall of the mouth, the vessel remaining in inverted position throughout all of these operations.

therefrom, then introducing cool pasteurized liquid into the vessel, all introductions and discharge of fluids being through the lling head, nextv expanding a closure into fluid-tight contact with the interior of said mouth by means operable through said iilling head and subsequently breaking the uid-tight contact between the vessel and said head.'

5. Apparatus for sterilizing, lling, and closing a vessel comprising a lling head adapted to make uid-tight contact with the vessel when thelatter is in inverted position, lshifter-tube mechanism slidably mounted in said head, means for introducing steam into said vessel and discharging condensatetherefrom, means for subsequently introducing liquid into said vessel and means for. thereafter expanding a closure into uid-tight contact withthe interior of the mouth of the vessel, all of said means being operable afterthe iluid-tight contact between the filling head and said vessel has been made and before.

it is broken. f

6. Apparatus as in claim in which the sniftertube mechanism comprises two concentric tubes, means for introducing steam into the space between the tubes and for permitting air to ow out through the central tube, theouter tube having a lateral opening near its upper end for the escape of steam While the inner tube. is open at its top for the entry of air.

7. Apparatus as-claimed in claim`5 in which the filling head includes a gland surrounding said snifter-tube mechanism, an annular packing of eoy U-shaped cross-section in said gland, and means for supplying steam under pressure to the interior of said packing to press it against said mechanism.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which 75 the filling head includes a gland surrounding said snifter-tube mechanism and means for supplying steam under pressure to the interior of said gland.

9. Apparatus for lling and closing a vessel4 having a neck comprising a filling head adapted to make fluid-tight contact with the vessel when in inverted position, sniffer-tube mechanism slidably mounted in said lling head, means for u head and shifter-tube mechanism to expand the former as soon as it has positioned the closure carried thereby within the vessel mouth. means for slidably moving said snifter-tube mechanism up and down in said lling head, and -means for rotating said closure-expanding head while it s being expanded.

10. Apparatus for lling and closing a vessel having a neck comprising a filling head adapted A to make uuid-tight contact with the vessel when in inverted position, snifter-tube mechanism slidable in said illling head, means for introducing liquid through the lling head intoy the vessel, means for simultaneously discharging gas through the snifter-tube mechanism, a closure-expanding head mounted on the upper end of the sniftertube mechanism for limited sliding movement relatively thereto, the diameter of said closureexpanding head being sufdciently smaller than the smallest diameter of the neck to permit its entry into the vessel with a closure covering and surrounding it, the filling head an'd closure-expanding head being so positioned relatively to each other that the lling head engages and stops further downward movement of the closure-expanding head as soon as the latter has positioned the closure carried thereby within the vessel mouth and before the snifter-tube mechanism has reached its lowermost position, means carried by' the snifter-tube mechanism for operating the closure-expanding head as soon as downward movement of the latter has ceased', means for slidably moving said snifter-tube mechanism up and down in said' lling head, and means for rotating said last-mentioned means relatively to said closure-expanding head after the latter has engaged said filling head.

ARTHUR VIVIAN WETI-IERBY-WIILIAMS. WASHINGTON K YLE SHEFFIELD. 

